Category: Humility

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HUMBLE YOURSELF?
Humility is defined as “the opposite of arrogance and pride; an attitude that grows out of the recognition that all we are and everything we own are gifts from God.” According to Colossians 3:12, humility should be a characteristic of the christian man and woman. To humble yourself is to surrender, submit or yield to God.

As I shared in the previous article “I’m Just a Nobody: An Attitude of Humility,” John the Baptist was a great example of humility. He dedicated his life to doing the work of the Lord. He stood in the wilderness and preached the message of repentance to all those willing to listen.
He didn’t concern himself with what people thought about him. He was only concerned about pleasing God.

WHY DID PEOPLE COME TO HEAR JOHN THE BAPTIST?
Because John the Baptist was faithful to God, many people came to hear him. Perhaps they initially just came out of curiosity to see this man everyone was talking about. Maybe they wanted to see for themselves if he was as crazy as some people said he was. Regardless of the motive, once many heard the message, they believed! As a result, Matthew 3:6 says they confessed their sins, and John baptized them in the Jordan River, hence the name John the Baptist.

WHO WERE THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES?
Matthew 3:7 (New Living Translation) says:

“But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. ‘You brood of snakes!’ he exclaimed. ‘Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?'”

Why would John the Baptist react that way? Let’s consider who the Pharisees and Sadducees were. During this time, they were two of the most powerful Jewish groups. Although they were considered religious leaders, many of them were hypocritical, self-righteous and didn’t show love to those who followed them. So, does that mean they were incapable of changing? No, not at all! However, in this particular scenario, John the Baptist knew these particular Pharisees and Sadducees were not being sincere. He knew they weren’t listening to him because they really wanted to change.
How did he know that? When you are humble before God, like John was, God will open your eyes to see things you otherwise might not see. God might also have you speak on some things that may make some people uncomfortable. Nevertheless, when God tells you to speak, you must speak, and that’s what John the Baptist did!

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RELIGION AND RELATIONSHIP?
In Matthew 3:8-9 (NLT), John continued speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees:

“8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.”

In the above verses, John the Baptist was pointing out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees. To repent of your sins and turn to God means you are to begin living differently. You will live the way God expects you to live, not the way you want to live. It’s not about religion but about relationship. For instance, if anyone asks me about my religion, I have to say I don’t have a religion. Rather, I have a relationship with God. John the Baptist was humble because he had a relationship with God. In other words, he surrendered to God, talked with God, listened to God, and obeyed God.

On the other hand, the Pharisees and Sadducees only knew how to follow a set of rules and traditions. Plus, they foolishly believed they were pleasing God simply because they were descendants of Abraham and because they happened to belong to a special group. What they failed to realize is, just like Abraham had to have faith in God and a personal relationship with Him, so did they!

Personally speaking, I come from a long line of believers, intercessors, ministers, and pastors. Needless to say, I can’t ride into Heaven on their coattails. Just like my grandmother Eunice humbled herself before God and just like my mother Geraldine humbled herself and continues to humble herself, I must do the same. I must do it for ME!
(Left-Grandma, Top-Mom, Bottom-Me)

WHERE DOES HUMILITY BEGIN?
I want to encourage you to humble yourself before God. First and foremost, humility begins with confessing and repenting of your sins. In II Chronicles 7:14 (New International Version) the Lord says:

“If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

You may be going through something, or your family may be going through something right now that has you worried, concerned, and overwhelmed. Humble yourself before God and give it all to Him. Perhaps, there are parts of your life you haven’t totally surrendered to God. Perhaps you’re holding back out of fear or because it’s familiar and comfortable. However, at the same time you know God is calling you to draw closer to Him and to come up higher.
He has plans for you and blessings in store, but you won’t see any of them as long as you continue on the same path. So, let this be the day you decide to truly humble yourself before God, and watch Him do amazing things for you and through you!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATIONIf you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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WHAT IS HUMILITY?
Legendary Gospel group The Williams Brothers released a song in 1985 entitled “I’m Just a Nobody.” They sang, “I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody, about Somebody, who can save anybody.”
When they sang, “I’m just a nobody,” they weren’t putting themselves down. Rather they were taking on an attitude of humility. They were making it clear that their number one purpose was to tell everyone, who heard their music, about Jesus. As believers in Christ Jesus, we should have an attitude of humility. The Bible dictionary defines humility as “the opposite of arrogance and pride; an attitude that grows out of the recognition that all we are and everything we own are gifts from God.”

ARE ALL CHRISTIANS NATURALLY HUMBLE?
Some might think all christians are naturally humble. However, that’s not always the case, and I don’t think it’s even intentional! As human beings, when we experience success or receive applause for our accomplishments, it can be easy to get the “big head.”
Why? It feels good to be praised or to receive accolades. Now, I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t feel happy and smile when we are successful or when God uses us in a way that impacts other people’s lives. The problem is when we forget it’s all because of GOD! Because we are human and still living in this fleshly body, we have to check ourselves every now and then, or do, what I like to call, a self-evaluation. The criteria we use is the Word of God.

WHO WAS JOHN THE BAPTIST?
One person in the Bible who comes to mind when I think of humility is John the Baptist. John the Baptist was a man who was hand-picked by God to prepare the way for Jesus’s ministry here on earth. Even before he was born, it was obvious he was special. In the first chapter of the book of Luke, his father Zechariah, who was a Jewish priest, was in the temple praying alone, when God sent an angel to inform him that his wife Elizabeth was going to conceive and have a son. Why was this such a big deal when most married couples have children? This was significant because, up to this point, Elizabeth had been unable to have a baby, and now Zechariah and she were getting older. Nevertheless, in that moment, God made Zechariah a promise, and his wife indeed became pregnant.

Later while Elizabeth was carrying John in her womb, God was preparing him even then for his ministry. One day Elizabeth’s cousin Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to visit Elizabeth. As soon as Mary greeted her, John leaped inside her womb. This wasn’t the normal baby kicking women experience during pregnancy, because after that, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

HOW DID JOHN THE BAPTIST EXEMPLIFY HUMILITY?
Matthew 3:1-2 (King James Version) say this about John the Baptist:

“1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

John the Baptist was preaching the message of repentance. To repent is to turn from your sins and accept God’s will for your life. Why was he preaching this message, besides the obvious fact that he was preparing the people for Jesus? He was simply obeying God. A humble person is obedient to God.

Something I find interesting is what the writer says about John the Baptist in verse four. Apparently, John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt and ate locusts and wild honey.
This bit of information is very significant because it further proves John’s devotion to God. John the Baptist was a Nazarite, and according to Numbers 6, a Nazarite was an individual who was especially consecrated or dedicated to God. In fact, when the angel visited Zechariah in the temple, he said this about John the Baptist in Luke 1:15-17 (New Living Translation):

“…..He will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

So, even before he was conceived God made it clear that John’s life would be dedicated to doing His will. As Matthew 3 points out, that’s exactly what John did. Now, John could have said no to God. Consider Jonah. He ran away when God told him to go preach to the people in the city of Ninevah (Jonah 1). God had to allow something drastic to happen to Jonah before he finally surrendered (Jonah 1-2). On the other hand, John humbled himself before God and said yes! Even though people talked about him, he said yes! Even though people looked at him like he was crazy, he still said yes!

Like John the Baptist, a humble person is dedicated to God. They don’t allow fear to stop them from obeying His voice. They’re not interested in popularity or being a part of the in-crowd. Also, when John the Baptist preached, the Bible doesn’t say he preached in the temple or in a palace. It says he preached in the wilderness. The wilderness was “a dry, desolate, uncultivated region where little vegetation grew.” A person of humility goes wherever God sends them, even if it’s unflattering and uncomfortable.

ARE YOU HUMBLE?
I want to encourage you to take a good look at yourself. Ask yourself: Am I truly humble before God? Am I doing what I know God is asking of me?
Please remember, when it’s all said and done, God created each of us for HIS purpose! Remembering this truth will keep you humble!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATIONIf you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Please pray the following prayer:

Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!

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